Mandate of the Demon King

Plight

A large elderly mans worried figure was illuminated only by a candle sitting on the table in front of him. The warm summer night air leaked in from holes in the wall, yet still did nothing to calm him as he seemed to glance at the slightly too narrow front door every few seconds. 

After what felt like forever, light knocking came from the shoddily built front door of the old mans dilapidated shack. Making the old man forget his candle as he nearly tripped over himself  rushing to the front door, throwing it wide open and staring at the small framed man at the other end. 

"H-hello Harlan, you broke the stone so I assumed the worst and rode over..." The petite man said, glancing up at the dark figure that was nearly two times his size, staring at him. 

"Oh Lee... It's bad." The large man managed to get out, before starting to sniffle as he blew into a rag that seems to have been used very much recently and stepping away from the door.

"Come come now, at least let me take a look before crying. Tell me what happened." Lee said, as he came in and set the dark leather satchel he was carrying on the table. His boots making dull noises on the hard dirt floor of their shack. 

"Harlan I know you're upset but how do you even see when it's this dark in here? I could've brought more candles you know." Lee said, patting the large man on the shoulder and picking up the only candle in the room. 

"Lee, Leif just won't wake up. I tried to put as many candles as I could in his room so maybe he would wake up from the light... It's the only thing I knew to do.... It's been over a day already and all he does is scream a little and then he goes back to being limp every few hours. You know I don't like botherin' you Lee but he really needs help. It's his 16th birthday soon, do you think it has anything to do with his meridians? He shouldn't be a cripple right?" The big man said as his soft cries shook his large frame.

"He's in his room? Let me take a look, it might not be as dire as you think. Let me examine him alone, and i'll call you back if anything happens." Said Lee as he put the candle back onto the table and picked up his satchel. It wasn't hard finding Leif's room, considering the almost blinding amount of light, compared to the darkness of the rest of the house, that leaked out from under and between the panels of his door. 

The room was illuminated in every corner by the soft flickering glow of many candles, the pleasant smell of beeswax was nearly suffocating because of the sheer amount burning. Lee sat down in the well worn chair next to Leif's bed, obviously placed there by a worried Harlan.

"Alright, time to wake up boy, your fathers worried sick." Lee spoke as he began taking off his patient's sweat drenched shirt, and afterwards opening his satchel and pulling out a set of pure silver needles. After pushing up his glasses and adjusting Leif's body to be flat, Lee began placing the needles along the meridians of Leif's torso in a calm and practiced manner. 

---

After several hours the door to Leif's room opens again, waking up Harlan who had already passed out with his head on the table. Quickly the big mans frame stood up, and gazed in a worried manner at the now incredibly pale face of his friend.

"Is... is he okay?" Harlan stammers out, still trying to find his voice after waking up so abruptly. 

"Harlan... You know we've been friends since we were children so there's no need for me to sugar coat things. Well I know you're aware that around the age of 16, people form their meridians. Not from puberty but from the natural accumulation of energy in one's body finally building up enough energy to form them. From what I've seen, the energy in his body seems to have cut his meridians." Lee said, stopping to measure Harlan's reaction. As he noticed Harlan being stunned into silence, he decided to continue.